The Minor Lipids That Matter
By Kiran Dayaram
In modern nutrition, marine oils are often reduced to two familiar molecules: EPA and DHA.
These long-chain omega-3 fatty acids are important, and decades of research have explored their role in human health. Because of that, most fish oil supplements are labeled and evaluated almost entirely based on how much EPA and DHA they contain.
But when we began studying marine organisms more closely, something became clear.
That story is incomplete.
The oceans do not produce EPA and DHA alone. Marine organisms contain extraordinary lipid diversity — hundreds of lipid species across many different molecular families.
And many of those lipids rarely appear in modern diets.
To understand why this matters, it helps to step back and remember how nutrition has changed.
For most of human history, people ate a wide range of whole foods — animals, organs, eggs, seeds, and in many regions, seafood and shellfish. Each of those foods carried its own unique lipid composition.
Today, a large proportion of dietary lipids come from a much narrower set of sources — primarily refined vegetable oils and a smaller range of animal foods.
The result is that modern diets often deliver far less diversity in the lipids we consume.
That does not mean we cannot survive on modern diets.
But survival and optimal function are not the same thing.
A helpful analogy is exercise.
A person can live a long time without structured exercise. The body will still function. But regular movement — strength, endurance, flexibility — allows the body to operate at a higher level.
Lipid diversity may work in a similar way.
The body does not require exposure to every lipid molecule found in nature. But a broader range of lipid inputs may help support the many biological systems that depend on them.
And this is where marine organisms become interesting.
When researchers analyze marine organisms using modern lipidomics techniques, they often find lipid families that are far less common in typical land-based foods.
Some of these lipids are now attracting growing scientific interest.
Omega-7: A Different Kind of Fatty Acid
One example is palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 fatty acid.
Unlike the better-known omega-3 and omega-6 families, omega-7 fatty acids have only recently begun to receive attention in metabolic research.
Emerging studies suggest that palmitoleic acid may act as a lipokine — a lipid signaling molecule involved in metabolic regulation.
Research has explored its potential roles in supporting:
- Metabolic balance and insulin sensitivity
• Healthy lipid metabolism
• Balanced inflammatory signaling
Omega-7 fatty acids occur naturally in certain marine organisms, as well as in foods such as macadamia nuts and sea buckthorn. But they are generally present in relatively small amounts in typical Western diets.
Marine sources can provide a particularly interesting profile.
Phospholipids: Lipids Built for Biology
Another class of lipids that often appears in marine organisms is phospholipids.
Unlike simple triglyceride oils, phospholipids are structurally similar to the molecules that form human cell membranes.
Because of this structure, phospholipid-bound fatty acids may be absorbed and transported differently in the body compared with standard triglyceride oils or ethyl-ester fish oils.
Research into marine phospholipids — particularly those found in krill and certain shellfish — suggests they may support:
- Efficient delivery of marine fatty acids
• Cell membrane structure and function
• Brain and nervous system health
These molecules are not new to biology. They are fundamental components of living systems.
But they are less commonly present in refined oils.
Plasmalogens: Rare Lipids with Emerging Interest
Perhaps the most intriguing lipid family found in some marine organisms is plasmalogens.
Plasmalogens are specialized phospholipids that play structural and protective roles in cell membranes, particularly in the brain, heart, and immune system.
They have attracted growing attention in scientific research because of their potential roles in supporting:
- Neural membrane health
• Cellular resilience to oxidative stress
• Healthy brain aging
Plasmalogens are naturally present in many marine organisms and shellfish, but they are not widely discussed in mainstream nutrition.
Yet they are part of the broader lipid architecture found in complex marine ecosystems.
The Bigger Picture: Lipid Diversity
When scientists analyze marine organisms using lipidomics tools, they often detect hundreds of distinct lipid species — spanning many families beyond the small number typically highlighted in nutrition conversations.
This is the real point.
Marine lipids are not defined by a single molecule.
They are defined by diversity.
EPA and DHA remain important parts of the story, but they represent only a small window into a much broader biochemical landscape.
And that brings us back to the central idea behind our work.
If modern diets have simplified the range of lipids we consume, perhaps part of rebuilding nutritional complexity involves re-exploring foods that naturally contain broader lipid spectra.
Marine organisms — particularly shellfish and marine invertebrates — are among the richest sources of this diversity in nature.
At OceaNZ Vital, our goal is not to isolate one “miracle molecule.”
It is to explore how marine organisms can contribute a wider range of lipids to modern nutrition — lipids that many people may rarely encounter unless they regularly eat seafood and shellfish.
Just as exercise helps the body operate beyond the minimum required for survival, a broader diversity of lipids may help support the biological systems that allow the body to function at its best.
This is one of the ideas that continues to guide our work in marine lipid science.